From his laboratory at the University of Washington, Prof Rajesh Rao claims he was able to control the hand movements of a colleague on the other side of campus using no more than the power of thought.

A cap filled with electrodes picked up electrical signals from Prof Rao’s brain and transmitted them via the internet to a magnetic coil placed on Dr Andrea Stocco’s head.

As Prof Rao thought about tapping the space bar on his computer keyboard the coil stimulated Dr Stocco’s left motor cortex, the part of the brain which governs hand movement, and prompted him to carry out the action.

Previous studies have linked mouse brains together, and some amputees use similar technology to move robotic limbs, but the experiment is thought to be the first such connection between the brains of two people.